The present invention concerns an energy-absorption device, principally for vehicles.
It is known that when a light vehicle comes into collision with an obstacle, the shock imposed on the occupants is due to the rapid deceleration of the vehicle. This deceleration is accompanied by a deformation of the car, and a deformation of the obstacle, corresponding to the absorption of the kinetic energy of the car. The deformations have the advantage of reducing the violence of the shock by diminishing the maximum value of the deceleration, but the deformations of the car are dangerous for the passengers. It is desirable, therefore, to obtain deformation of the obstacle.
One of the most dangerous obstacles is the heavy goods vehicle, for it is on the road itself and has a large mass. For this purpose, it is known for the rear of heavy goods vehicles to be fitted with a bumper designed to stop vehicles becoming embedded underneath them, for the rear is the part of them most exposed to being struck by cars. This bumper must be able, in case of collision, to deform sufficiently to absorb the maximum energy. However it must be fixed very solidly and be sufficiently resistant to collisions in order to tolerate large impacts in case other parts of the two vehicles come into contact, for example the windscreen area of the car with the rear of the goods vehicle.